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Catching Up With ... Vasili Bogazianos

By  Posted: Nov 15, 2004

Soap Opera Digest: How are they treating you at ATWT?

Bogazianos: I've got to say, just great! It's going to sound completely self-serving, but I just love it over there. (Executive Producer) Chris Goutman, first of all, is a terrific guy and he runs a really tight ship. People come in ready to work and put out, I think, a terrific product. I'm very impressed with the level of acting in the people that I'm working with, specifically Grayson McCouch (Dusty), and Peyton List (Lucy) is just so beautiful it's painful, but she's a good little actress. And Agim Kaba, Aaron) and this kid, Chris Tardio (Dominic), who's working in my storyline. It's a pleasure to go to work with these people. Carole Shure is an old friend from ALL MY CHILDREN, and she's the senior producer there now. So, I thought I was going to come in for a few shows because I was in New York taking care of some business. But it's turned into a nice little run. I've enjoyed every minute of it. It's just a really great place to work — a friendly atmosphere, they put out a great product and they get out on time. Digest: Did you know about boxing?

Bogazianos: I was a boxing fan and I did a little boxing as a kid, back in World War I. (laughs) But ... no. I knew more about it than the casual fan, but I wasn't that on top of all the boxing nomenclature and whatnot. But enough to fake it, let's hope!Digest: I heard that you had an injury?

Bogazianos: Oh, you heard about that? Agim and A.J. (Lamas, Rafael) were supposed to have this fight and they were doing the weigh-in, like with real boxers, where they're jawing at each other with, depending on your point of view, staged animosity. Well, it was a little chaotic and they were supposed to get carried away and several of us were supposed to jump in to the ring and separate them. This wasn't the actual fight, just the weigh-in. They're young guys and they got excited and it just kind of got carried away. Well, A.J., bless his heart, was just mortified that this happened. And here I am, I'm 5-feet-8, I weigh 165 pounds soaking wet; A.J.'s 6-3 and weighs about 200 pounds. And he just let fly with an elbow and caught me on the bridge of the nose. So, there was blood everywhere. We just kept shooting, though.... And then they sent for the paramedics, which I didn't think was necessary, but it was fine — I'm fine. However, my nose is slightly broken. When the swelling went down, I realized there's a bump there that I didn't have before I came to work at AS THE WORLD TURNS. My wife said, "Oh, nice memento." But it's not hideous. You couldn't tell just by looking at me; you'd have to look really close. I can breathe. Everybody was mortified. We didn't lose more than 20 minutes in the schedule. After the bleeding stopped, I put on a Band-Aid and finished my scenes. I'd rather it hadn't happened, but it could have been a lot worse. And now everybody's got a little story to tell about my visit to AS THE WORLD TURNS. I definitely took one for the team!Digest: How is it different from other shows you've worked on?

Bogazianos: It's much different from the way we used to do CHILDREN when I was on that. But having done YOUNG AND RESTLESS, which was also a great experience, I don't know that all the shows are doing it because I've been off daytime for a while, but I'd always petitioned to do it sort of the way they're doing it now because I felt it was better for the actors to have a flow, where you do all the scenes in your set in a row, rather than doing your prologue and waiting for the other scenes and then doing your act two and like that. Which is how we used to do it in the old days. I had some experience with the new way out on the West Coast, so it wasn't a surprise when I got to AS THE WORLD TURNS. It's very actor-friendly because you come in and you're just concentrating on your stuff with your storyline people and you do it and you're done. I think it's more efficient. I always liked that way to work, as an actor. I have no idea how it affects the technical aspect, but as an actor, I love it. And Chris runs a really tight ship. They hardly ever go over. It's a nice way to work. But you have to be prepared. Digest: They rarely even have rehearsal anymore.

Bogazianos: That is true. And if you're not used to that or prepared for that, I suppose it could be a problem, where you think, "Well, I've kind of got a sense of my lines and I'll hit my stride as we work." No. You'd better know what you're doing when you come in. I remember when I got the job on YOUNG AND RESTLESS, I called Peter Bergman (Jack; ex-Cliff, AMC) and said, "Hey, I'm gonna be on your show. Do you have any tips?" And he said, "All I can say is, be prepared to shoot the scene as you pull into the parking lot." And he wasn't kidding. But they actually rehearsed a lot more than [ATWT], which is get up, block it, do it. I don't mind it, but I could see how somebody who's not prepared for that could go, "Oh, my God, can I do that again?" "No, we're moving on." They're not gonna re-shoot it because you've got an idea about how you could have done it slightly differently. You've got to make a choice, commit to it, for better or for worse, and go for it. Digest: Is there anybody from AMC you keep in touch with?

Bogazianos: I do, actually. I just had dinner with Candace Earley (ex-Donna). I see James Mitchell
(Palmer) on a regular basis. I used to see Bergman a little more regularly. We used to stay in pretty good touch. And then Michael Minor, who played Brandon Kingsley for a couple of years. I went to a little party for James Mitchell when I first got back to town and ran into a nice group of folks: David Canary (Adam/Stuart), Gillian Spencer (ex-Daisy), Jill Larson
(Opal).... Julia Barr (Brooke) and I are having dinner soon. Digest: What are your favorite memories of AMC?

Bogazianos: It went from 1980-90. Even though I came back once and awhile through the first couple of years of the '90s, I had pretty much moved to L.A. by 1991. It's the people like Kate Dezina, who played Estelle, was always a treat to work with. I don't know where she is. Candace and I talked about that because we would love to be in touch with her. It was great working with her; she was a wonderful human being. And it was just a lot of fun in the early '80s. We had Darnell (Williams, Jesse) and Kim Delaney (Jenny) and Billy Clyde (played by Matthew Cowles). That was fun. It wasn't just a job, you looked forward to going to work. So, I have fond memories of that. I really cherished that time I spent on ALL MY CHILDREN. I was looking to do other things, so sometimes it felt like a gilded cage, but looking back on it with my perspective now, I'm so glad I did it.Digest: Do you still get recognized?

Bogazianos: I do, oddly enough. It always surprises me. And more so in New York. In L.A., I go to my local Starbucks and Jennifer Aniston's standing behind me in line. Plus, people are in their cars and whatnot. But out in New York, people are bolder, so they just start talking to you or they shout out stuff. I like that — that's cool. Digest: Where are you based now?

Bogazianos: I think I'm bicoastal. I came back to take care of some business and now I'm getting work. So, I'm not moving back to New York, but I do want to spend some time here every year, now that I'm back. I just love being back here.Digest: Would you consider staying at ATWT for longer?

Bogazianos: Oh, sure, if they wanted me to come back, there'd be no reason not to. But I think he's turned into a fairly unpleasant guy. Once the worst is done, I can't see the character coming back. But in a heartbeat, I'd be there.